Graveyard 'rape' caught on video by neighbour

A householder fed up with courting couples using a nearby graveyard ended up accidentally video-taping a rape, a court was told yesterday.

Jurors heard that the tape and testimony from a lip-reading expert would play a crucial part in the case.

Hove Crown Court was told the alleged attack on the teenage girl happened at St Nicholas's Church in the centre of Brighton after she had met a 17-year-old youth at a club.

The youth denies rape.

Amanda Tedore, prosecuting, said the couple who lived across the road were so fed up with the activities in the graveyard that they would video what happened and forward the tape to the police and the council. "That is how come there is a video of parts of this incident," she added.

Miss Tedore said the girl had grown concerned as they walked to the graveyard.

She added: "They then got close to the graveyard entrance and he said to her, 'It is my last night. I am going to prison tomorrow. I just want a shag'.

"They went to a bench … He grabbed hold of her and subjected her to a sexual assault. She was saying, 'No, no, I don't want to'."